Glovern had no choice.
He either had to retract his words and suffer the humiliation, or take on a mountain of debt to protect his pride.
Seeing the expression on Kay’s face, he knew any suggestion of splitting the costs would be a dead end.
‘Our Brittany is going to marry the Crown Prince, anyway.’
Fortunately, Glovern had a reliable fallback.
Once Brittany became the Crown Princess, these wedding expenses would be a drop in the ocean. There would be no shortage of people clamoring to shower the Witlow family with money and gifts to curry favor.
Glovern shifted his expression, leaned back as leisurely as Kay, and offered a thin smile.
“Very well, Count Green. Naturally, for my beloved daughter, I shall gladly cover the wedding expenses.”
“Oh, I expected nothing less.”
A broad grin spread across Kay’s face as he pulled a contract from his breast pocket. It was an itemized bill: equipment borrowed from the Mage Tower, the dress and jewelry commissioned from Tioret, the reception, and the catering.
The total at the bottom was staggeringly high—enough to make the room spin.
“Please sign here.”
Glovern suppressed the urge to drive the pen Kay offered straight into his eye, and instead, he signed.
Kay folded the paper, now bearing Glovern’s name, and tucked it away.
“Thank you. I won’t forget the effort you’ve put into our wedding, Duke Witlow.”
Kay rose from his seat.
“I have much to do, so I shall take my leave.”
Watching Kay stride away without waiting for a reply, Glovern realized with a jolt that Kay had never once called him ‘father-in-law.’
+++
As Kay walked down the hall, he took the bill back out, lingering on Glovern’s signature.
As far as Kay knew, Glovern didn’t have the liquidity to handle this amount immediately. He would have to sell off several of his mansions or take out a heavy loan.
Kay recalled what had happened earlier that day.
He had been shooed out by Jen in the middle of a dress fitting, only to be summoned back in a hurry. When he arrived, the room was already tidy, with only Rishi and Jen waiting.
Rishi had looked at Jen and said,
*“Jen, give Kay the bill for the wedding expenses incurred so far.”*
Then, turning to Kay, she added:
*“Duke Witlow will protest.”*
Kay hadn’t understood why, but Jen explained the situation with Brittany.
*“Duke Witlow will choose to protect his pride. Since he’s trying to secure Brittany’s match with the Crown Prince, he won’t want any rumors of penny-pinching to reach the public ear.”*
It was exactly as Rishi had predicted.
‘A clever woman.’
When Rishi took a stand, she never hedged with uncertainty. Her tone and her gaze were always filled with absolute conviction.
He loved her when she blushed, but he loved her even more when she moved forward with that unwavering resolve.
She was a woman without a single flaw he didn’t adore.
Kay entered Rishi’s room with a grin.
“Rishi. I got it.”
He waved the bill, wearing a smug smile.
In Rishi’s eyes, Kay looked like a puppy who had brought back a bone, desperate for a pat on the head.
If so, she would oblige.
“Well done, Kay.”
“Did I really do well?”
“Is there any part of it you managed to fake?”
“No, but there’s no reward.”
“What would you like?”
Kay sat beside her and leaned his cheek toward her.
Rishi, not quite sure what he wanted, blinked her round eyes at his smooth skin.
“Hurry,” Kay urged.
Rishi frowned slightly, then realized with an “Ah!” and tapped his cheek lightly with her palm.
“Well done, Kay.”
Kay’s eyes widened.
“What was that, Rishi?”
“Hm?”
“The reward is too stingy. It’s so stingy I could use it as a condiment.”
Kay grumbled, pressed her shoulders back onto the sofa, and climbed over her to press a real kiss to her lips.
When he finally pulled away, Rishi said,
“If you wanted a kiss, you should have just stuck out your lips.”
“I wanted a cheek kiss. The one I just gave you is just the interest added on top.”
A cheek kiss.
The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. No one had ever presented their cheek to her, asking for such a thing.
“You’re the stingy one, adding such huge interest in just a few seconds.”
“So don’t let your guard down, Rishi. In the blink of an eye, even greater interest might be added.”
She wondered what kind of interest could be greater than a kiss.
She felt ready to show him right then and there, but Kay wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her back into a sitting position.
“I managed to squeeze the money out of Witlow as you said, but there’s something worrying me.”
Kay instantly discarded the suggestive atmosphere to return to business. Rishi couldn’t understand why a sharp pang of disappointment hit her.
“If Witlow is aiming for the Crown Princess title, he won’t sell his assets. He’ll likely take a bank loan. It would be fortunate if he pays it back, but if he defaults, we might inherit the burden.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll take care of it.”
“Can’t you tell me how?”
“Hmm, what should I do? Maybe if you do something cute, I’ll tell you.”
“Something cute? How should I act for you to find me cute?”
It was a joke, but Kay’s gaze turned heavy and serious.
So, Rishi decided to fulfill a whim she’d been harboring for a while.
“I think I’d have to act cute by turning into a wolf.”
“Let’s do that.”
Kay shifted into a wolf in an instant.
Rishi stood up and circled the sofa. The wolf moved to follow her, his gaze locked on her.
“You might get angry at what I’m about to do.”
“I don’t get angry at you, Rishi.”
“Hmm, good. Then, first—sit.”
“Hm?”
“Sit, Kay.”
The black wolf’s jaw dropped. He stared at Rishi, who was issuing a command with such calm authority, and then suddenly, he let out a sound like laughter.
*“Hahahaha.”*
The wolf’s laughter sounded different from his human voice—a deep, resonant rumble, with a growl woven into the mirth that felt dangerously pleasant.
“Ah, Rishi. You always surprise me.”
Obediently, Kay sat.
Rishi held out her hand.
“Paw.”
The wolf rested his massive, heavy paw in her palm. It was so large it swallowed her hand entirely.
Rishi stroked his long claws with a sense of wonder.
“Will you tell me now?” the wolf asked, his tail thumping against the floor.
“No. Lie down.”
The wolf flattened himself against the floor.
“Roll.”
“Oh, Rishi.”
“Roll, Kay.”
Kay rolled over once, then suddenly sprang up, lunging toward her.
Even with a giant wolf looming over her, Rishi felt no fear. She trusted him with her life. As she expected, the wolf stopped short, resting his front paws on her shoulders.
His large, dark nose was inches from her face.
“Rishi. No one has ever given me a command like this before.”
“Not even Jen?”
“…Exclude her.”
“Not even your mother or father?”
“…Exclude them, too.”
“Not even your younger brother?”
“…Let’s exclude him as well.”
Rishi giggled.
Kay licked her face, a playful, lingering gesture.
“Eek!”
She tried to pull back, but as she tipped over, Kay shifted back into his human form, catching her securely in his arms.
Rishi saw herself reflected in his flushed, blue-gray eyes.
As she stared at her own reflection, held entirely within his gaze, she realized she was smiling with a sense of boundless happiness.
*‘I’ve come to smile like this.’*
She brushed her thumb against his eye.
“Rishi.”
Only when his deep, ragged voice called her name did Rishi remember how he looked immediately after shifting.
Realizing she was pressed against him, her face flamed red.
But she didn’t want to push him away.
She liked being this close.
When Kay had that look in his eyes, he usually kissed her, breathing out hot, uneven sighs. He would whisper suggestive things, nuzzling her neck, leaving her skin tingling with a mysterious, electric sensation.
This time… she thought he would do the same.
“Turn around. I need to get dressed.”
Kay put his clothes back on without another word.
The burning heat that had been flushing her skin cooled instantly, leaving a hollow, chilling wind in her chest.
‘Why is he acting like that? Is he angry because I ordered him around?’
Worried she had crossed a line, she watched him. Once he was fully dressed, Kay stood behind her, pulling her into a tight embrace. His lips brushed the nape of her neck before he pulled away entirely.
“I’ll hear how you plan to handle the Witlow debt later. I just remembered something I have to do.”
Kay whispered in a low, strained voice and turned away abruptly.
She watched his retreating back as he walked out.
“Kay.”
“Yes?”
“Are you angry?”
Kay strode back to her. His gaze, fixed on her, remained gentle.
“Rishi, I’m not angry with you.”
He kissed her forehead lightly and left.
+++
Kay strode toward the training grounds. He felt he needed to tear something apart just to cool the furnace burning in his chest.
‘I’m going crazy.’
When Rishi gave that preposterous command to him—a wolf—he hadn’t been angry.
On the contrary, he found it intoxicating that Rishi looked at him with such joyful abandon while commanding him.
Rishi’s laughter made his chest tighten, and the way she gazed at him, as if spellbound, had left him utterly unable to restrain himself.
He had never imagined he would reach a state where his sanity felt so fragile. His reason had snapped; he had almost taken her by force, regardless of her fear.
He had almost pinned her to the bed and marked every inch of her fair skin with his own touch.
*‘What has come over me?’*
This was the first time he had been engulfed by such raw, violent impulses.
Usually, when they were intimate, he felt a dull warmth—a level he could control. He had always been confident that he could stop the moment Rishi felt afraid.
But now, he lacked that confidence. He felt that if he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop until he had devoured her completely, and only then would he be satisfied.
He didn’t want to see her eyes cloud over with fear because of him. That was why he had been so cautious, even in their most intimate moments.
As soon as he entered the training grounds, he grabbed a wooden sword and struck the training post like a madman.
How long had he been at it?
“Captain. The wooden sword has snapped.”
At Eugene’s voice, Kay snapped back to his senses.
The wooden sword was dangling, broken in two.
Kay stared at the shattered wood with a sense of novelty before muttering.
“Eugene. I think this is love.”
He had tried to put off naming the emotions he felt for Rishi. He felt that the moment he gave it a name, it would explode, and Rishi might get caught in the blast and be hurt.
So, he hadn’t given it a name. But now, his own heart was on the verge of shattering.
“No, it’s not just *like*… I am in love with Iris.”